NEWARK -- A New York City man wreaked havoc on a highway this afternoon when he allegedly stole a Port Authority Police cruiser, injured a police officer and caused several accidents along Route 1&9 North, police said.

The bizarre series of events started around 5 p.m. when Anselmo Silva, 40, of Queens was involved in a two-car crash on Route 1&9 North near Newark Liberty Airport, said Anthony Ambrose, Chief of Detectives for the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office. Port Authority Police responded to the scene and were waiting for additional units from the Newark Police Department when Silva allegedly exited his wrecked vehicle and hijacked the Port Authority cruiser, according to city police spokesman Hubert Henderson.

While authorities were not sure what prompted Silva to allegedly steal the cruiser, a Port Authority official said he may have been intoxicated as he attempted a daring and dangerous escape along a three-mile stretch of the highway.

After Silva entered the police vehicle, the officer fought him for control of the cruiser, according to Henderson, but was knocked to the ground and sustained non-life threatening injuries as the suspect sped off.

Authorities allege Silva then raced north along the highway for approximately one mile before slamming the stolen cruiser into a white cable company truck, Ambrose said. Seconds after colliding with the truck, Silva allegedly stole that vehicle and continued his wild ride northbound, according to Ambrose.

The 40-year-old’s daring escape didn’t last much longer, as he wrecked the stolen vehicle a few blocks away near the intersection of Stockton and DeLancey streets, according to Henderson. Emergency crews had to cut apart pieces of the truck to free Silva after the vehicle flipped over, said Henderson.

Following the third crash, Silva was taken into custody by Port Authority Police and transported to University Hospital in Newark where he was treated for serious injuries, according to Ambrose, who said the Prosecutor’s Office Vehicular Homicide Unit will take the lead in the investigation.

The Port Authority did not release the identity of the injured officer tonight.

Silva did not appear to have a weapon, according to the Port Authority official, and a search of his car did not turn up any narcotics.

While Silva was not officialy charged tonight, Henderson said the wild chase will likely earn him multiple traffic violations, aggravated assault and carjacking charges, and several other offenses.

Google MapsA map of Stockton and Delancey streets in Newark, where a motorist crashed after he had stolen a Port Authority police cruiser, ran over a police officer and causing several accidents as he sped along Routes 1 & 9 today.